A's GM David Forst was interviewed at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on MLB Network on Thursday, and was asked what the top priorities for his club are. Forst said that it's hard to pin it down, noting the A's having lots of room for improvement after the 2022 season. He said that the A's are there, talking to a lot of teams, checking in with agents, and his hope is that the A's will upgrade a lot of parts of the Major League club.
The most interesting part of this interview, was Seth Brown's name being mentioned. Brownie is 30 years old, and is still a year away from being arbitration eligible after hitting 25 home runs in 2022 and posting a 147 wRC+ in the second half.
Forst was asked about the possibility of potentially moving Brown, or at least listening to team's offers for him this off-season. Forst, with a smile, said, "Seth is a popular guy for sure. He made such a leap in the second half. Filled in great at both first and right field. His offense took to the next level. I look forward to him doing that in Oakland next year."
Obviously no player is off the table in trade talks in the middle of a rebuild, but the front office is still trying to win games in 2023. With Brown set to make the big league minimum of $720,000, there is not a high probability that they'd find the same amount of production elsewhere at the same price.
Forst's answer kind of says it all, too. The A's would have to be given an offer they couldn't refuse to move Brown this winter.
The A's GM was also asked about the team's commitment to A.J. Puk as a reliever only, or if a return as a starter would be a possibility.
"I think A.J. getting through the year healthy was a huge step for him. We have certainly had that conversation about him returning to a starter. Obviously, he had a lot of success [as a starter] in college and early in the minor leagues, so I wouldn't rule out A.J. coming into camp as a starting pitcher."
On today's episode of Locked on A's, I went over whether the A's should trade Seth Brown this winter, and why Puk moving to the rotation could make sense.
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